A wide variety of small travel pillows have been developed for passengers traveling in all types of vehicles, including but not limited to airplanes, cars, buses, and trains. Applicable prior art includes a) the U-shaped cushion that fits over a user's shoulders that is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 7,958,582; b) a U-shaped cushion that merely sits around a user's neck, as disclosed as U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,349; c) a collapsible head support section that is borne by two elongated rail members which run to the side of a user's head down the back of a user.
All of the aforementioned pillows depend on the user to maintain the pillow's position. If a user leans forward, the pillow also comes forward. The pillows lose position when a user moves. There are other travel pillows that are affixed in specific ways to plane seats, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,177 that includes a support frame and adjustment mechanism so a user joins the pillow to the seat. These types of travel pillows are much more complex, and take considerable space. Because they are affixed to plane seats in a particular way, users can not position the pillow outside a small range of positions.
None of these pillows are capable of assisting a traveler who wishes to lean against the wall next to his seat, or can be oriented in more than a single direction.
The industry needs a pillow that can be configured to meet the changing needs of a traveler's comfort, whether she is seated near a wall or in an aisle seat, or simply desires more neck support versus head cushion, while traveling on an airplane, car, bus, train, or any other type of vehicle.